Boomerang employees: Companies look to woo ex-employees

Boomerang employees – those who quit their jobs to gain experience in another company or startup, and then choose to rejoin their former employer.Prachi Verma | ET Bureau | September 19, 2015, 11:49 IST

Sriyansa Dash quit his job in the products division of InMobi in May 2013 to work on his ventures. When these projects drew to a close, Dash started looking out for jobs.

A chance meeting with a former colleague at InMobi inspired him to apply to his previous company, and he has since rejoined the mobile advertising firm in August as director of product management.

Dash is just one of the latest entrants into the club of boomerang employees – those who quit their jobs to gain experience in another company or startup, and then choose to rejoin their former employer.

Corporates and startups alike are seeing an influx of returning employees, ready to commence a second innings with them. HR heads, too, are more amenable to proactively recruiting such workers. Hiring ex- employees means less time and money can be spent on on-boarding and induction.

It's a win-win, because employees are often drawn back to their original employer because of the organisation culture, the opportunities available, and add to that the fact that they're already well-versed with the processes and functions.

Most employees, after having tried their hand at something new, feel the need to return to a familiar place.

"Former employees rejoining a company have a elevant understanding of the organisational framework, assuming not too much time has elapsed between exit and re-hire," said Deodutta Kurane, group president, human capital management, Yes Bank.

With the job market on the upswing, there is a plethora of opportunities out there, especially for youngsters who are not afraid to quit their jobs to risk something new.

"Many employees crave a different experience and leave their corporate jobs to explore a different career path," said Shalini Pillay, partner and head – people, performance and culture at KPMG India.

Many of them, however, choose to return. At Paytm, there have been 8-10 returning employees within the past six to seven months, all at senior levels.

InMobi has seen at least 17 cases of boomerang employees within the past year, across engineering, products and marketing divisions. "One of the reasons we welcome returning employees is because of our culture. We value people who dream big and make things happen," says Kevin Freitas, director, HR.

MakeMyTrip has had more than a dozen employees returning in frontline roles of product management, software development and online marketing. Lenovo India has re-hired three former employees in the last quarter, and HR head Rohit Sandal has interviewed at least three more in the past month who wish to come back.

Startups, on the other hand, may see exits from employees who leave due to uncertainty in funding and operations, and then return when the growth picks up. One such case was at online grocery store ZopNow – one of the early members in the technology team left after a year with the startup, and chose to come back within just four months when it was on track with growth and expansion.

Companies, on their part, are pulling out all stops to woo boomerang employees and engage better with them. Online marketplace IndiaMART runs a homecoming initiative under which it hires employees looking to come back. Since the launch of the programme a few years ago, the company has welcomed nearly 100 former employees back into its fold.

Absolutdata Analytics has a portal for former employees and holds meetups frequently. "Such programmes allow us to share opportunities with ex-employees, besides being a great tool to inform us if they are experiencing the level of career growth or development opportunities they hoped to achieve," said Sudeshna Datta, executive vice president and cofounder.

Similarly, MakeMyTrip has designated HR managers who are in charge of proactively reaching out to employees who have left, collating their feedback and building a database, and subsequently rehiring them if the conditions are conducive.

Mondelez India Foods has a strong referrals programme in place which encourages current employees to proactively reach out to former ones who may be exploring opportunities to make a comeback.

EY runs a 'post-exit probe', under which the company reaches out to employees two months after their departure, to reinitiate contact and ask how well they may be settling in at the new workplace. "If things aren't working out, we explore the opportunity for that employee to return to us," said Sandeep Kohli, national director-HR.

Clearly, the doors are always open for returning employees who leave companies amicably and come with good professional records. "With limited ready skill available in the market, there's a definite advantage for companies who hire former employees – because they get verified talent that an be productive from the word go," said Pallavi Jha, MD and chairperson, Dale Carnegie Training India.